Fruit exports slump: customs officials

The demand for domestic fruit in the international market has dropped dramatically in the last few years, according to statistics from the Viet Nam Department of Customs.
What was once a $330 million industry is now only worth $30 million despite the fact Viet Nam now sells fruit to 55 countries.
Most of the trouble stemmed from a lack of uniform quality and quantity in the produce sold internationally, said Nguyen Van Ky, general secretary of the Vietnamese Fruits Association.
Only 15 to 20 per cent of the 7 million tonnes of fruit grown here meet export criteria and they often cost more than items grown in other countries, he said.
"There have been a lot of orders from the US, Japan and Australia for fruit we grow in Viet Nam, however, we do not have enough fruit of the standards they require and many customers stop buying fruit from our exporters," said Ky.
The general secretary said domestic producers had trouble meeting demands of Vietnamese markets, as well.
Representatives from the Economic Science Association in HCM City report around 500 tonnes of fruit arrive in markets everyday, of which 300 tonnes are imported from nearby China.
Vietnamese producers sell most of their produce to the EU, Argentina, Lebanon and Belarus.